Pelicans and 76ers Should Orchestrate a Draft Night Trade

Draft night trades are hard to predict, but still happen every year. The 76ers are in one of the most unique situations for any team selecting in the top three picks in recent memory – having multiple All-Star caliber players, and a former MVP potentially returning to form.

Given the immediate talent on Philadelphia's roster, drafting a player ready to contribute to winning in the window to fit Joel Embiid's timeline is the most logical move. Potential targets like Ace Bailey, VJ Edgecombe and Kon Knueppel would make sense fit-wise, but moving down to acquire a proven veteran and a lottery pick brings in even more value.

New Orleans sits in an opposite situation, with seemingly no direction and locks for core members of the roster. Rising star Trey Murphy is on the trade block, CJ McCollum is aging, and Zion Williamson and Dejounte Murray are fighting injury struggles.

Now more than ever feels like an appropriate time to hit the reset button for the Pelicans and take a swing on a star such as Bailey, Edgecombe or Knueppel who may not fall to Pick No. 7. The Pelicans recently returned Indiana's 2026 first round pick in exchange for the No. 23 pick in the 2025 draft, perhaps to acquire more capital to make a splash on draft night.

The Trade

76ers receive: Herbert Jones, Pick No. 7 (Via NOP), Pick No. 23 (Via IND)
Pelicans receive: Kelly Oubre Jr., Andre Drummond, Pick No. 3 (VIA PHI)

With this move, the 76ers get one of the league's premier 3-and-D players in Herb Jones, who shot 41.8 percent from 3-point range in his last healthy season. Along with Jones, an opportunity to swing on another strong defender like Collin Murray-Boyles or Noa Essengue presents itself at the No. 7 overall pick, and an additional rotational piece at No. 23.

The Pelicans, on the other hand, get a guaranteed shot at one of the higher-regarded stars in the draft, and now have a cornerstone to center a rebuild around. Shipping out Jones and two first-round picks may seem like a hefty price, but a move that flips Oubre later in the offseason or at the trade deadline could net draft capital in return, making up for the original loss.

The idea of trading up or down in the draft is always nice, but finding a partner for it is the difficult part. In this scenario, Daryl Morey and Joe Dumars should be ringing each other's lines to get a deal done as soon as possible.